The Expanse: Osiris Reborn – the upcoming Mass Effect-inspired sci-fi RPG from Owlcat Games – just got a release window, but there's extra good news for anyone unable to wait until 2027, as a closed beta is arriving next month.
Announced during today's Xbox Partner Preview, it's been revealed that The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will be launching in spring 2027 across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, at which point it'll arrive as a Day 1 Xbox Game Pass release, too. I don't know about you, but 2027 feels like an eternity away, but thankfully, it's a much shorter wait for anyone keen to try a portion of the game in an earlier state.
The closed beta will be available on all platforms from April 22, so there's only a month to go. Anyone is able to play, as long as they're willing to pay the price. Fans will only get access if they "become a founder" by buying either the Collector's Edition of the game – which costs $289 and includes a bunch of physical goodies like a printed art book and spaceship figurine – or the Miller's Pack, which costs $79.99 and unlocks some digital goodies like outfits, guns, and a digital art book and soundtrack.
Both are considerably more expensive than the standard version (at $49.99) and even the deluxe pack (at $59.99), but obviously, what could end up being a full year of beta access will be a big selling point for anyone interested.
Game design director Leonid Rastorguev talks more about what we can expect from the beta in a presentation attended by GamesRadar+. "One story mission will be playable," he says, specifically pointing to the second story mission of the game, in which players "will be able to choose one of the two presets" during its battle – one being a gunplay-focused officer, and the other being a combat ability-focused hacker.
"There will be various encounters to test your presets there and to play around with whatever you find during the mission, in terms of weapons, gadgets, and so on," he adds.
Although things will vary in the final release, with more playstyles to experiment with, the beta should still give us a taste of what combat feels like. Game design producer Yuliya Chernenko adds that it'll allow us to explore both the inside and outside of the space station, "meet a lot of different NPCs," and make some choices both with immediate effects and more "long-lasting effects," which, admittedly, "you will not be able to experience within the beta." There's no doubt folks will be theorizing about how "everything unravels" in the final release, though.
Be sure to check out our roundup of new games for 2026 and beyond.
